PHILADELPHIA — With the clock running out and the WNIT title on the line Saturday, Drexel coach Denise Dillon acted instinctively.

The product of Cardinal O’Hara and Villanova University called a play to get the ball to a Delaware County player, in this case former Archbishop Carroll standout Hollie Mershon.

Mershon’s driving layup erased a one-point deficit and put the Dragons ahead for good in what became a 46-43 victory over Utah at the Daskalaskis Center.

A crowd of 1,922 rushed the floor, a chunk of them Delco followers of Mershon and Carroll products Rachel Pearson and Meghan Creighton, along with Fiona Flanagan of Notre Dame.

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“Hollie didn’t have a good first half but you know she’s going to get it done,” Dillon said. “So you put the ball in her hands.”

Mershon had made just 4 of 19 shots before the pivotal basket that followed a huge steal by Taylor Wootton, who deflected the ball to Renee Johnson-Allen with 34 seconds left, the Utes holding a 43-42 lead.

“It was our last shot at a championship,” Mershon said, a reference to the senior class. “What kind of got me through it was I just kept thinking back to the Delaware game and the feeling that sat with me for so long. And it’s certainly not what I wanted again, to end my career that way.”

“I just went up with it,” said Mershon, who finished with 14 points, including the last four of the contest, eight rebounds and three assists. “The jump-stop really helped me.”

The Dragons (28-10) trailed 24-21 at the half. With Mershon struggling, Wootton scored 12 of her game-high 16 points, giving her 1,003 for her career.

The Dragons didn’t lead until Flanagan buried a three-pointer with 10:03 remaining.

That shot came shortly after Utes coach Anthony Levrets performed a 360 while grabbing his balding head in frustration as Ciera Dunbar was whistled for an offensive foul. Dunbar released the ball before crashing into the Dragons but the basket wasn’t allowed.

“I thought it was good,” Levrets said. “Obviously I’m biased. But you know, you’re on the road. That’s what happens on the road. It happens.

“That wasn’t the only factor. Ultimately it came down to one play.”

The Utes (23-14) turned the ball over twice in the last minute, preventing them from getting anything but a desperation three-point attempt just before the buzzer.

Dillon and the Dragons know how that feels as they were beaten by Delaware, 59-56, in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship game. Mershon was worried that that could have been the end ... Dillon questioned her own late-game strategy.

“I knew what I called in the Delaware game and I didn’t like what I called in the game,” Dillon said. “I learned just as much as the players did. You always give yourself a chance to win. You put the ball in the best player’s hands.”

Mershon completed her Dragons career with 1,601 points. Only four other Dragons basketball players have scored at least 1,500. Pearson contributed three points and one rebound, Crieghton three rebounds and one assist, Flanagan five points, four boards, two assists and two steals.

When Dillon hits the recruiting road to find the next Mershon, you pretty much know where the search will start.

“I went to O’Hara but I get Carroll players,” Dillon said, laughing at the irony. “This area is such a great area for basketball — high school and college. So once we started doing well here at Drexel we started drawing the attention of local teams. When you watch Carroll practice they’re like a mini-Drexel. They do a lot of the motion offense. Everyone is comfortable shooting from the outside. Obviously you want to recruit players like that. And then just seeing how much they enjoy playing together and supporting each other. When you’re from a winning program it’s going to carry over. They’re going to expect to win in college and do whatever is necessary. So it continues. The pipeline continues.”

“There’s a lot of competition in the city,” Mershon said, rattling off the names of the other colleges. “This is going to open their eyes a little bit more. They’ll be able to see what Drexel basketball is about.”